The amazing number of ways you can make a dough, form it into a shape, fill it and serve it is beyond counting. The galette is one of those forms. Coming from the Norman word “gale” meaning flat cake, the term galette is usually associated with French cuisine and designates a round crusty baked dough with a filling. Many different types of galette have developed over the centuries. The Galette Breton and Galette de Rais are two of the most common and famous types of galette. They are not the same. The Galette Breton is made from buckwheat flour and is more of a pancake. The Galette des rois, also knows as pithiviers in France, was introduced in the 1300s. It is made of a more delicate puff pastry and usually has a sweet filling and is traditionally served at Epiphany. The bisontine pancake is another type of Galette. It is made with a choux pastry and the ingredients are nire simplified. The Galette comtoise is a frangipane cake with a choux pastry flavored with orange blossoms or zest. It originated in the 11th century and was considered a desert anyone could make. Galette complète is the type of galette but the dough is actually a buckwheat crepe batter. It commonly has a savory filling which can include meats, cheeses, and vegetables. The Galette de Pérouges was developed in the early 20th century. It is a sweet desert galette using a yeasted dough. In Canada the term galette is basically a large cookie. In Italy the crostata is basically a galette with an Italian twist. A tart is similar to a Galette but baked in a pan with a removable bottom. The recipe that follows is just a galette, simple, rustic and delicious.
Galettes can be filled with just about anything, it is all up to your creativity. Below are just two examples, one savory and one sweet of the options for a galette. Note the Galette on the left has a much thicker crust. I prefer a thinner crust. But both had irregular crusts. Galettes of the type of the recipe below are rustic, which is part of their charm.
Galette with Zucchini, Ricotta and Tomatoes
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 ½ cups King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Parmesan Reggiano Cheese grated
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- 8 TBSP Unsalted Butter
- 5-6 TBSP dry white wine (I have used Unfiltered sake for added Umami).
Filling: Zucchini and Tomatoes
- 400 Grams Zucchini slides ~ ¼ inch
- 400 Grams Sweet Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half
- ¼ cup EVOO
- 3-4 tsp Italian Seasoning
Filling: Cheese
- ¾ cup Ricotta Cheese
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ tsp Fresh Lemon Zest
- ½+ cups Parmesan Reggiano Cheese grated
- 1 Egg Large beaten
Filling: Onion and Garlic
- 1 TBSP EVOO
- ¾ cup White Onions diced
- 1 Garlic clove diced
Assembly, Baking and Serving
- 1 Egg Large
- 1 TBSP Water
- ¼ cup Parmesan reggiano cheese finely grated
- ½ tsp Kosher course salt
Instructions
Dough
- Place the flour, cheese and salt in a bowl and whisk well.
- Cut the butter into smaller cubes and place in the flour. Using a Pastry Blender, blend the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that is small and crumbly in texture.
- Add the wine to the dough and mix using a spoon or Danish Dough Hook. Mix until you have a nice dough ball.
- Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator. The dough can be made the night before and kept in the refrigerator.
Filling: Zucchini and Tomatoes
- Set the oven at ~400 degrees F.
- Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice the zucchini using Japanese Beriner slicer to about 1/4+ inch thick. thinner than this will end up with Zucchini mush.
- Place the zucchini in a bowl and add ~ ½ of the EVOO, then sprinkle half of the Italian seasoning on the zucchini. Mix well.
- Place the coated zucchinis on one of the parchment covered cookie sheets.
- Slice the Tomatoes in half and place them in the Zucchini bowl. Add the remainder of the EVOO and Italian Seasoning. Mix well.
- Place the Tomatoes on a seperate parchment covered cookie sheet. The zucchini and tomatoes will roast at different times.
- Roast the zucchini and tomatoes for ~ 15-20 minutes. You want then just beginning to brown.
- Set aside and let the zucchini and tomatoes cool. You can put them in the refrigerator over night to be used the next day.
Filling: Cheese
- Place the Ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, lemon zest, Parmisan Reggiano cheese and the egg in a bowl and mix this well until well blended. Set aside.
Filling: Onions and Garlic
- Place the EVOO in a fry pan over low heat and bring to shimmering.
- Add the onions and fry until browning.
- Add the garlic and fry until fragrant.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
Assembly, Baking and Serving
- Place the egg and water in a small bowl and whisk well.
- Heat the oven to ~425 degrees F.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, place it on a floured flat clean surface and roll it out to about ¼ inch thick. The edges will be a bit ragged, this is fine and fits with the overall preparation of the Galette. Try to keep it basically round in shape.
- Place the rolled out dough on a parchment covered cookie sheet. The round will be about 12 inches in diameter. Keep in mind it will have irregular borders and not be completely round, this is what you want, that rustic appearance.
- Using as offset cake spreader spread the Ricotta cheese mixture onto the dough. Leave about 1 ½ to 2 inches around the edges. You will fold these over once the filling is placed.
- Take the zucchini and layer them on top of the cheese.
- Take the tomatoes and place them on top of the zucchini.
- Sprinkle the onion garlic mixture over the zucchini and tomatoes.
- Fold over the edges of the dough onto the filling.
- Brush the edges well with the egg wash.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan Regiano over the egg wash and filling
- Sprinkle the salt over the egg washed dough edges.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles.
- Let sit for about 10 minutes then cut with an pizza knife or wheel, or large chef's knife into wedges.
- Serve and enjoy!!
The tastes here are subtle, though savory. It is not “spicy” but just right for a great breakfast.
